The look on Garp's face and the tone in his voice were exactly like that classic "Why can't you be more like other people's kids?" attitude.
And then there was his own son.
Embarrassingly kicked in the face and sent flying across the ship. Absolutely humiliating.
Garp didn't care at all about the dark-faced, sulking Dragon. He simply launched into the traditional Monkey family method of parenting.
"Learn from Ares. Train yourself to be able to take a beating, develop an unbreakable body, and forge unyielding vitality!"
"A proper Marine must have a powerful body and an indomitable will!"
"Dragon, I know you want to join battles, but now you've seen it for yourself. You're too... weak!!"
There's no harm without comparison. Garp had originally thought Dragon's progress was quite decent, but when lined up against Ares, it wasn't even close.
One hit. That's all it took.
Listening to Garp's scolding, Dragon clenched his fists so tightly his fingers dug into his palms, his skin turning deathly pale.
He ground his teeth with a crackling sound, the memory of that kick, the pain, the humiliation it all came flooding back.
Dragon's eyes burned with fierce determination.
"I'll definitely become stronger, strong enough to defeat anyone!"
"I'll pursue the justice in my heart and use my power to protect and save as many people as I can!"
In that moment, an invisible but powerful aura radiated from his entire being.
Garp's lips curled into a faint, almost unnoticeable smile, satisfaction gleaming deep in his eyes.
My son will definitely become an outstanding Marine in the future!
This blow really fired up Dragon. He'll definitely train harder now and grow into a qualified, exceptional Marine sooner!
Just as Garp was basking in his own joy, his ears twitched.
He immediately turned to the sky, his eyes sparkling with excitement as his grin widened.
"Warm-up's over! Finally, a worthy opponent has arrived!"
For someone of Garp's strength, fighting Ares was just a warm-up. But Ares' incredible resilience had genuinely loosened up his joints and got his blood pumping.
With a loud crash, a figure descended from the sky.
Boom!
The one who landed hard on the wooden deck, shattering it with a web of cracks beneath his feet, was none other than World Destroyer Brynndi World.
The Navy soldiers around them instantly tensed in panic.
"That's the World Destroyer Brynndi World"
"A pirate with a bounty of 200 million berries!!"
"He's a notoriously vicious pirate!!"
Even though fear showed on their faces, these Navy soldiers, well-trained and bolstered by Vice Admiral Garp's presence, held their positions without fleeing.
Many quickly aimed their flintlocks.
But the next moment, Brynndi World lunged forward, punching several Marines away. With one hand, he snatched a rifle from a trembling Navy soldier.
With a savage grin and a dangerous glint in his eyes, he laughed wildly.
"Multiply Hundredfold Rifle!"
Click.
Click.
Both triggers squeezed. Bang! Bang! Two shots fired.
What sent chills down everyone's spines was that as the bullets left the barrel, they suddenly expanded at an alarming rate, growing a hundred times their original size!
What had been the size of marbles now swelled to the size of cannonballs!
The Navy soldiers were instantly horrified as they stared at the monstrous bullets flying toward them.
"Damn it!" Garp cursed under his breath. Like a bolt of lightning, he struck out. His arm hardened with Armament Haki, smashing one of the cannonball-sized bullets with his fist.
But no matter how fast he was, the other bullet came from a different direction.
Boom!!
The massive bullet struck a group of Marines directly, blowing over a dozen soldiers away in an explosion of smoke and debris.
The powerful shockwave even caused the huge warship to shudder violently.
Brynndi World roared with unrestrained laughter, completely elated.
"Warorororo... I'm here to destroy everything!!"
"Damn it!" Garp's face darkened as he charged at Bullet, fists raised.
The two clashed, the battle igniting instantly.
Meanwhile.
Ares lay sprawled on the cold deck.
"My strength... still isn't enough..."
But he wasn't in a hurry to get up. It wasn't because he'd given up far from it. In his mind, he had already begun replaying everything that had just happened.
When Garp hammered his head earlier, it had somehow unlocked fragments of his sealed memories. It had even strengthened his soul.
His perception, his willpower everything had grown stronger.
Not that Ares himself realized this yet. But it was exactly this that explained why Dragon had noticed he was getting stronger as the battle went on.
Ares sat in deep reflection.
"My unique Armament Haki isn't strong enough. I can't even cover my whole body with it."
"My speed and my technique... they're still miles behind."
He kept replaying every detail of his fight with Vice Admiral Garp, especially Garp's attack movements and footwork.
Suddenly!
Ares' eyes lit up, and he muttered in excitement.
"It's the explosive power!"
He seemed to have grasped a key detail it was all about explosive power.
That brief instant of explosive force was what made Garp's speed and strength so incredible.
Overjoyed, Ares sprang to his feet.
He bent his knees slightly, the defined muscles in his thick thighs tensing and swelling.
"First, store power... then release it all at once!"
Boom!
His feet exploded through the deck beneath him. His entire body shot upward like a rocket, his bald head smashing straight through the thick wooden ceiling.
Ares soared high into the sky, the wind howling against his face.
Ares shouted in sheer delight.
"I'm really... faster now!!"
He had shot up at least twenty or thirty meters into the air.
"That's Ares!!!"
On the pirate ship, Wang Zhi cried out in surprise, his heart finally settling.
That brat's alive!!
He immediately yelled toward Ares.
"Ares, get back on the ship now!!"
As long as they could pick up Ares, they could get out of this hellhole.
But that joy only lasted two or three seconds.
Wang Zhi's eyes suddenly widened in shock.
Boom!
Ares, having reached the peak of his jump, fell straight back down and crashed right through the ship's deck again, disappearing from sight in front of the stunned pirates.
The pirates exchanged confused glances, utterly baffled by what Ares was doing.
Wang Zhi clutched his head in frustration, his mood swinging wildly as his mouth twitched.
"That little bastard..."
"Does he think a Navy warship is some kind of amusement park?!!"
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